My “Click Moment”

Thinking back, I suppose I’ve always been a nudist – I just didn’t realize it until I was almost 50 years old. Through the years I’d run around the neighborhood nude at night, enjoyed home nudity, sunbathed nude, skinny dipped, and searched Internet sites looking for nude photos and stories. But through all those years I had misunderstood this need to be nude as some type of unique-to-me sexual addiction, and so lived a guilt-riddled life, hiding from myself.

Then I experienced my personal “Click Moment”. Perusing the Internet, I ran across stories of people who enjoyed hiking nude and began to fanaticize about doing this myself. Then one day I discovered a site written by naturists from my own conservative religion! At that point it really didn’t take much courage to drive to a private location in a nearby forest, strip, and take a naked hike - “Click” - I realized I wasn’t a pervert, I was just a nudist.

Of course, it took a few years and many experiences to “fully” accept that I was a nudist and that being one fixed my head and made me a better person. It was very difficult finding a spouse who understood and was willing to live the nudist lifestyle with me. And as I’ve learned more about living this lifestyle, I’ve come to classify myself as a naturist rather than a nudist. I’ve become much more open to sharing this approach to life with others, including my family.

My only regret is that my “Click Moment” didn’t come years earlier.

Many people have a "Click Moment" as illustrated below. Tell us about your personal “Click” moment.

Ken

"I always liked being nude but the magic moment 'Click" was my first visit to Elysium (now closed and long gone) as I was sitting on the gentle slopping lawn late afternoon. It was so peaceful and natural, so removed from the madness and demands of the world, pure and fresh... that is when I woke up to my place in the world and said yes this is how I want my life to be. Mid 70's I think, it has been so long ago but I still remember the moment as if it were yesterday. . . What/When was your "Nudist Click" moment when you accepted nudity and the desire to live nude as part of your life?" - SunBunny

"Working in the yard last year, digging it up, I began to shed my shorts until I eventually decided to not even put them on anymore. I came inside one day, showered and just decided not to get dressed afterward. Have not been the same since. I love this way of life." - Jim

"I was working on the John Deere in the dog pen, sweating my butt off, when I discovered that I could see nothing but sky and fence. I thought, why not get comfortable and work on it naked? After that, I was hooked. I put up a sign that said nudist zone." - Dave88

"I had been skinny dipping, sun tanning, and soaking in hot tubs nude for a long time, but had never considered just being in the house naked. Then one year on my birthday I decided to try to wear just my "birthday suit" all day. That did it. " - BareOnTheCape

"Summer of '75 I had just moved to San Diego, and a work friend asked if I wanted to check out Black's Beach. Once I dropped my suit, and jumped into the Pacific, that proverbial "lightbulb in my head" clicked on and I thought, "this is so natural, this feels so good, this is so right, this is the way it's supposed to be"! Jump ahead to the mid '90's, and after a few month's dating, I revealed my naturist beliefs to my future wife, and convinced her to give it a try at Elysium with me. At the end of a wonderful day, she didn't want to get dressed and said "I can't believe I've never tried this before". We've never looked back since." - SoCalNudist

"I have always liked to be naked as much as possible. I went to Orvis Hot Springs, Ridgway, CO, a few times with a friend and really enjoyed it. However last Sept. I spent three nights at Mira Vista. I wanted to cry when time can for me to get dressed and on down the road. I got gas and coffee and hit the road. Tucson was still in my rearview mirror when it hit me. I said to myself, "Don, your a nudist." It didn't surprise me but that was the instant I knew." - dkk

"I have always enjoyed being cloths free in my house & often skinny dipped with friends growing up. But I realized that I was a nudist when I started meeting other people in NY at the Mohonk Nature Preserve. I saw a sign while hiking That said" You may encounter nudity beyond this point. It was Winter & so I laughed at the time. I was drawn like a magnet so when the weather became nicer I went back with a friend. She wasn't interested in being cloths free but for me it was that AHah moment. I met other people there & became fast friends with many of them. The Sun & the breeze & dunking in the cold mountain water had me. I began to explore Nude Beaches & Nude locations. At first I only went to natural locations but in the past few years I have included Resorts in my nude recreation. I believe I was alway a Naturist/Nudist but had just never put the label or name to it." - Earthgal

"The day that being a nudist "clicked" for me was my first time I was nude infront of people other than my boyfriend. We were invited to visit another on-line nudist chat couple. That perticular weekend they had their 3 children, another couple with a child and a single male, younger than us. We went with another couple we had just met a few days earlier, that were also nudists. It was a nice day and we were having a BBQ in their yard and home. Since I had never done anything like this before I walked around with a huge towel wrapped around me until I got to the hottub. While sitting in the tub I noticed that everyone was sitting around (in the nude) and were visting with everyone, and no one was looking at the new nude person. It finally clicked and I learned to relax, and talked to everyone there to find out more iformation. It was so great. I have never looked back from then." - OddButerfly

"I do not remember the date, it was somewhere in the late 70’s, there was a news story about Black’s Beach. I do recall that it was late August when I decided to drive down to San Diego to see what it was like. This was long before the internet and the only information I had was that Black’s Beach was south from Torrey Pines State Beach.
Well long story short, I found the nude area after a long walk along the beach. I was wearing a shirt, blue jeans (I did not own a pair of shorts, let alone a bathing suit) and tennis shoes. I am glad to say it took me less then a minute after arriving there to be completely nude. I had never felt so free and at the same time so comfortable before.
I knew from that day on that I was a nudist." - JP

"I think there was two clicks. The first was my first social nude experience. I was nervous, took off my clothes in the car, and walked off into the resort. I'm skinny, but have a gut, so I sucked in my gut. Then I saw nude people of all shapes and sizes. CLICK. I relaxed my gut and realized I can just be myself. Later on I was walking around the resorts residences. I looked down and realized "I'm naked in a residental area, and no one cares!"
CLICK. I was hooked. I am a nudist." - Armadliio

"I was at a state park lake in my home state of Maine. I had just returned to the public changing building after a swim. The building had no roof so there I sat, naked in the sun and warm summer air. It felt so good and it was very relaxing. I just knew that this was the way it should be. By the way, I was about 10 years old at the time." - Jetman